/* Not legal advice. This page is research, not compliance guidance. */ /* */
Privacy-Tool Comparison Methodology, Claim Labels, and Corrections
Status: Status: method and common slots resolved from the pinned p4_tools preregistration artifacts and the 140 persisted tool cells (pin commit 373eb3c6, captured 2026-09-30); correction log empty, 0 requests to date. Not legal advice.
Short answer
This hub records the comparison method before any class-specific matrix is read. It is a bounded evidence contract, not a ranked list. The method is pinned to commit 373eb3c6, frozen 140 cells across 12 vendors captured within a single-day window (2026-09-30).
How the comparison methodology works
Method v1 (selection-rules-v1 + attributes-v1, pinned together). tool.method.version Commit slot: 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc, pinned 2026-09-30T06:02-04:00. tool.method.commit Capture-boundary slot: 2026-09-30, 10:36–20:09 UTC — a single-day capture window; all 140 cells were captured inside it. tool.method.capture_boundary This hub describes scope, evidence, and correction mechanics without declaring a preferred provider.
How the bounded vendor roster was selected
Roster-listed vendor, product matches one of the three tool classes, primary-source evidence supports the class pair, and any class-specific constraint is recorded as an attribute rather than hidden. tool.method.inclusion_rules Exclusion slot: Excluded when the fact needs hands-on account testing, the source is an affiliate listicle or a review publisher outside the pinned allowlist, the vendor sits outside the frozen 12-vendor roster, or the claim would require a ranking or recommendation. tool.method.exclusion_rules Minimum-class-size slot: 3 distinct eligible vendors per class — every active class clears it today: phone 5, email 6, card 4. tool.method.minimum_class_size Display-order slot: alphabetical_by_operating_entity — an administrative sort by each vendor's recorded legal operating entity, not a ranking. tool.method.display_order
| Method field | Frozen value or artifact | Version or commit | Capture boundary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Method version | Method v1 (selection-rules-v1 + attributes-v1) | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Method commit | Pinned commit, both preregistration artifacts | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | pinned 2026-09-30T06:02-04:00 |
| Capture boundary | 2026-09-30, 10:36–20:09 UTC | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Roster inclusion | Roster-listed vendor, matching class, primary-source-supported pair, recorded constraints | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Roster exclusion | No hands-on testing, no affiliate/unlisted-publisher sourcing, no non-roster vendor, no ranking claim | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Minimum class size | 3 distinct eligible vendors per class (phone 5, email 6, card 4 today) | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Display order | alphabetical_by_operating_entity | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
| Attribute schema version | pppriv-tool-attributes/v1 | sha256 173db1cf…095de5caa44cb @ 373eb3c6 | 2026-09-30 |
| Attribute definitions | 8 common + 2 phone-only + 1 email-only + 1 card-only (12 defined attributes) | 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc | 2026-09-30 |
Which attributes were preregistered
pppriv-tool-attributes/v1, pinned sha256 173db1cf…095de5caa44cb. tool.method.attribute_schema_version Definition slot: 8 common attributes apply to every class pair (signup_identifiers, later_verification_triggers, retention, deletion, operating_entity, source_availability, audit_report, request_reporting); 2 are phone-only, 1 email-only, 1 card-only. tool.method.attribute_definitions Common attributes and class-specific attributes remain separated by the preregistered schema.
What claim labels and capture dates mean
vendor_stated, public_record, third_party_report, independently_tested — 139 of 140 captured cells are vendor_stated, 1 is third_party_report, 0 are independently_tested. tool.method.claim_labels Source-origin slot: vendor_primary, government_public_record, public_repository, third_party_audit, third_party_review — the 140 cells use vendor_primary (135), public_repository (4), and third_party_audit (1); the other two origins are defined but unused so far. tool.method.source_origins Capture-date slot: Each stated cell carries its own fetch-event timestamp; a capture date records when that source was read, not that it has stayed the same since. tool.method.capture_dates Independent-testing slot: Not permitted in this method version (publish_constraints.independently_tested_allowed_in_v1 is false); 0 of 140 captured cells carry the label, and it is not relabeled as another evidence type. tool.method.independently_tested_availability
| Claim label | Definition | Allowed source origins | Capture-date meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
vendor_stated | What the provider published on its own primary page or document. 139 of 140 captured cells. | vendor_primary | Date the vendor's own page or document was read. |
public_record | A qualifying public or government record, or a public source-code repository (used for 4 open-source vendors' source_availability cells). | government_public_record, public_repository | Date the public record or repository was read. |
third_party_report | Attributed to an outside source on the pinned review-policy allowlist, or a named third-party audit. 1 of 140 captured cells (addy.io's Securitum security audit). | third_party_audit, third_party_review | Date the outside report or audit was read. |
independently_tested | Evidence meeting the method's own hands-on testing definition. Not permitted in this method version. | (none — disallowed in v1) | Not applicable; the field stays empty rather than being filled from another evidence type. |
How corrections are requested and logged
One email-based correction procedure, identical for every vendor and every page on the site. tool.method.correction_procedure Correction-log slot: 0 correction requests recorded as of this capture window; the log table renders empty rather than being hidden. tool.method.correction_log
| Request date | Affected claim | Status | Resolution date | Change note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No correction requests recorded as of this capture window. | ||||
No affiliate, referral, sponsorship, gift, preferred-access or paid-placement relationship with any listed vendor.
Andrew Pierce's companies sell business-formation, compliance, registered-agent, virtual-office and mail-scanning services. Private Pierce is separate from them and takes nothing from any company it describes.
Submit a correction follows the same procedure for every vendor and every page on this site.
What a masked identifier does not hide
The specified counterparty in the interaction — the merchant on a card transaction, the caller or recipient on a call or text, the recipient on an email — not every participant. tool.common.masked_from Identity-receiver slot: The provider itself, and — per class — a carrier, card-issuing bank partner, or destination-mailbox operator, as each vendor's own operating_entity and retention cells record. tool.common.identity_receivers Lawful-request slot: 0 of the 15 recorded class pairs disclose a lawful-request count; several vendors publish a request-handling process (a response window, a warrant/court-order condition) without a count, and an undisclosed count is recorded as not_disclosed, never inferred as zero. tool.common.lawful_request_transparency Masking one identifier for one counterparty does not erase provider, carrier, issuer, or lawful-request records.
Private phone-number capability
Issues a user-facing telephone number or calling/SMS identity distinct from the user's primary carrier number, scoped to the number_issuance and phone_portability attributes; 5 vendors are eligible today. tool.phone.capability_boundary Phone-specific evidence belongs on Private Phone-Number App Comparison. The hub does not highlight a provider row.
Email-alias capability
Issues alias email addresses or mail-forwarding identities distinct from the user's primary inbox address, scoped to the alias_email attribute; 6 vendors are eligible today. tool.email.capability_boundary Email-specific evidence belongs on Email-Alias Service Comparison. The hub does not highlight a provider row.
Masked-payment capability
Issues virtual, masked, or one-time payment card credentials for merchant transactions, scoped to the payment_card attribute; 4 vendors are eligible today, clearing the frozen minimum of 3, so the class is active, not folded. tool.card.capability_boundary Minimum-class-size slot: 3 distinct eligible vendors per class — every active class clears it today: phone 5, email 6, card 4. tool.method.minimum_class_size Card-specific evidence belongs on Masked-Payment Card Comparison while the class remains active; if folded, this section remains noncomparative and renders no vendor table or vendor links.
Sources
The companion sources.json resolves every method and capability slot from the pinned preregistration artifacts (rigs/content-production/pp-privacy/tools/preregistration/selection-rules-v1.json and rigs/content-production/pp-privacy/tools/preregistration/attributes-v1.json, commit 373eb3c62d7b55f5fda4d34c76e7816438fe41dc) and from the 140 persisted tool cells captured 2026-09-30. Class-specific vendor claims are not repeated here; they belong to the phone, email, and masked-payment comparison pages linked above.
Not legal advice
Tool capabilities, provider policies, and source availability can change. This page describes the comparison method, not operational, legal, financial, or compliance guidance.